The fugitive had arrived in the African country on December 19, via Glasgow and Amsterdam, and is said to have celebrated New Year's Eve at a wild rooftop party.

He is suspected of murdering Miss Blake, 43, and their two young sons, Zachary, eight, and Amon, four, some time between December 13 and December 16.

Sian Blake (PA)

The Metropolitan Police is facing criticism after failing to upgrade the missing persons inquiry to a murder investigation for three weeks, despite Simpson-Kent's disappearance, meaning that the three victims' heavily concealed bodies lay undiscovered in the family garden for up to 20 days.

The case has been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

Deputy Det Supt Hansen Gove, from the Ghanaian police, told The Mail on Sunday he was "incredibly proud to have brought in a fugitive so quickly and calmly, without injury to anyone".

He added: "It will be a great pleasure to report all this to the Met police who arrived from England last night and have not been anywhere near this area or this crime. Maybe we could offer some detective training to Scotland Yard."

Detectives from London had only just arrived in Ghana when SImpson-Kent was apprehended by local police and were still hundreds of miles away in the capital Accra at the time of his arrest.

The former hairdresser is said to have arrived in the coastal resort Busua, two miles from the village of Butre, where he was eventually found, several days before Christmas.

"It will be a great pleasure to report all this to the Met police who arrived from England last night and have not been anywhere near this area or this crime. Maybe we could offer some detective training to Scotland Yard."

She said she had first seen him before Christmas and said he "seemed like a very nice gentleman, calm, quietlyspoken with an educated accent".

He is then said to have turned up at a New Year's Eve party at the popular African Rainbow hotel, where he was "dancing like mad".

But Mrs Ainoo, who emigrated to Ghana from Halifax, West Yorkshire, last year, was subsequently made aware of Ms Blake's murder by a friend in the UK and contacted the police.

Local craftsman, Idris Assoumana, who also recognised him from reports stating that he was wanted over the murders, claimed he had chatted to Simpson-Kent for an hour in Busua and said he was "calm" but apparently keen to know how he knew so much about it.

Sian Blake's children Zachary and Amon (PA)

The owner of the Arena Beach Lodge in Busua also recognised Simpson Kent and tipped off police about where to find him.

The man, who did not want to be identified, told The Sun: "He was a very interesting and clever person.

"We had a good time together. He didn't exactly say he was on holiday. After I looked him up on the web I called police and told them where to find him.

"He said he'd gone sightseeing in the village of Butre. He came first to the hotel for five days then returned and checked in for seven days.

"He never said anything to anyone. He was just living the normal tourist life."

Six local police officers are said to have searched for Simpson-Kent until 2am on Saturday morning, without any success.

But at 7am, there were reports that he had been spotted in the area and several villagers joined the search.

A fisherman reportedly said he had seen him swimming in the sea and he was found sitting on the beach eating a coconut that he had split open with a knife.

He is said to have immediately raised his hands in surrender before being handcuffed and put in an unmarked pick-up truck.

Simpson-Kent is expected to be flown back to the UK for questioning within the next few days.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "Detectives have been made aware of an arrest in Ghana. We are currently working alongside the Ghanaian authorities."

Miss Blake, who had motor neurone disease, played Frankie Pierre in EastEnders between 1996 and 1997.

A post-mortem examination revealed that she and her sons died as a result of head and neck injuries.

Her family declined to comment on Simpson-Kent's arrest at their home in Leyton, East London, on Sunday morning.

But outside the neat terrace house, propped on the window ledge, were three pink roses which lay beside three tea light candles.